Pad for hair waving



l I I June 927 E. o. SCHNELL PAD FOR mun wAvi-Ne Filed Oct. 14. 1926 bless.-

I Patented June 7, i927.

UNITED STATES- ERNS'I O. SOHNELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ran non HAIR wevme.

Application filed October 14, 1926. Serial No. 141,475.

This invention relates to improvements in pads for hair larly to. the so-called steam pads used 1n the process of permanent hair waving.

5 The process of permanent hair wavin involves the application of heat to' the air,

strands of which are tightly wound or coiled about metal rod-like curlers,-and sub ected to heat in the presencepf some hair treat- -l0 ing preparation calculated to give permanency to the wave. Some methods use analkaline liquid such as ammoma, and others use the so-called steam pads containmg a solid alkaline substance, such as borax, the particular function of each beingthe generation of an alkaline steam which penetrates the hair and produces the degree of permanency required. The objection these methods and to all methods now in vogue, is the attendant danger of dev 1talizing the hair, due to excessive'apphcation of heat and as a consequence, the hair becomes brittle and discolored. As a result, therefore, the practice of permanent hair Waving requires extreme care and expertness on the part of the ,operator.

In order that the general method of permanent hair waving will be understood, it consists of wrapping the hair treating substance tightly about the strand of coiled 'hair, -whereupon a tube of pasteboard is passed over the pad and finally a tubular hegting coil is passed over the pasteboard tu 'e. it

Of the-two methods mentioned, the steampad method is the one more extensively used, wherein the pads consist usually of borax in thin cake form wrapped in an envelope of cheesecloth or like fabric, {the envelope being stitched to enclose the borax cake. But since the nature of the borax is suchthat it readily crumbles in dried form, this form of padis not satisfactory for the reason that the substance tends'to shift in the envelope and to sift through the/meshes of the cloth and the perforations along the lines of stitching, in spite of etforts to make the pads sufliciently stable for shipment, such as lines of stitches to dividethe pads into sections and reinforcing the .cake with a woven material;

So'too, .thepresent method of manufacturing steam pads is open to objection due primarily to difiiculty in stitching the envelope, which is done with the hair-treating waving, and more particu substance in a wet state, and this is a tedious and laborious operation. Moreover, the

the line of stitchingfwith the'result that on the application of heat, itescapes from the envelope and lodges in the hair and on the scalp with painful results.

The purpose, therefore, of the present invention is to provide a steam pad which will overcome all of the objections herein mentioned, and involving an entirely new pads thus made are frequentlyimperfect, portions of the substance being exterior to construction or formation of the finished pad.

The following, therefore, constitutes apreferred embodiment of my'invention, reference being had to the accompanying draw ings, in which r Figure 1 is a 'perspective'view of a preferred form of steam'pad with one end portion opened to show the method of construction. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the pad taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional View taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

' Figure 4 is a perspective view of a modified construction for the steam pad; and

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the pad taken on line 55 of Figure 4.

Inasmuch as the chemical and physical make-up of the hair treating substance is an important feature of the invention, re-

gardless of the form in which. it is finally prepared for use in the hair waving process, I will first disclose its composition.

In general, the hair treatin substance consists of an emulsified oil, mixed with a salt which when dissolved in water, shows a weak alkaline reaction, and a filler, the com. position being initially prepared in a high plastic paste form.

The emulsified oil consists of a suitable vegetable, animal or other non-drying oil, an 1;

emulsifying agent, such as a suitable grade or klnd of colloidal clay, and water, as the vehicle for the emulsification'. any preference, -I use either olive oil or castor oil and colloidal clay of the bentonite (wilkenite) type. i To form the emulsion, -I'take 25 parts by weight of olive oil, 5 parts by weight of, bentonite (wilkenite) and 70 parts weight of water, although the proportions may be varied somewhat from those given.-

wThese ingredients arethoroughly mixed to- HESS.

substance commercially, an ordinary tankthe following are examples: disodium phos-,

,phate; sodium pyrophosphate; sodium bicarbonate; ammonium bicarbonate; and/or sodium and ammonium phosphate.

In carrying out the compounding of the mixer with agitating paddles is used in which the emulsion is prepared. Warm water and bentonite arefirst mixed together to form a creamy homogeneous liquid, to which is added warm oil which becomes thoroughly combinated with the aqueous dispersion of the clay to form the emulsion. This emulsion is very stable, and hence the separating of the oil from the suspending liquid is very slow. Consequently, large quantities of the emulsion can be prepared and stored for use as needed, since butslight agitation is required to re-establish its original creamy uniform consistency.

The emulsion which may either be taken I directly from the mixing tank or from the stored supply, is mixed and thoroughly kneaded with the alkaline salts and filler in the proportions already stated, into the form of a highly plastic paste of butter consistency. In this form it is then formed into bricks of convenient size, and thence sliced into thin cakes' or slabs, either by knife,

wire or other slicing means. It is in the form of these thin cakes or wafers that the hair treating substance is enclosed within the fabric envelope, as will presently be described in connection with the drawing.

Asthus' compounded and utilized in steam pads, the. hair treating1 compound possesses certain chemical and p ysical properties calculated to insure results hitherto notobtainable in the materials andmethods used. When the pads containing the substance herein disclosed are moistened and applied to'the hair in the manner described, the application of heat causes an alkaline steam to.

be generated which penetrates the hair and imparts the permanency to the wave. Accompanying the alkaline steam is also generated actual oil steam which also penetrates the hair and protects it against the ex cessive' action of the alkaline steam and heat on the hair structure, the tehdencyof which, if not perfectly regulated, isto destroy the hair, leaving-it lifeless, brittle and discolored. The-presence of the oil steam, therefore, makes the hair soft, pliable and lustrous, at the same time counteracting the destructive action of the alkaline steam on the hair if allowed to continue too long.

It therefore removes from the operation that element of uncertainty as to time of heat application, which is particularly difficult'to 'cope with, regardless of the care and experience of the operator, owing to the difference in texture of the hair of different individuals, as Well as in different parts of the scalp of the same individual.

It fol ows, steam pads containing the hair treatlng substance herein disclosed, satisfactory results can be assured even in the hands of less experienced operators. Similarly, hair of light shades and dyed hair, which are particularly susceptible todiscoloration, can be waved without vdiiiiculty,,in fact, in the treat ment of dyed hair, the dye is not only reserved, but becomes more permanently tilted therefore, that by the use of thus imparting new life and lustre into the hair.

The results thus obtainable with the hair treatlng substance, may be attributed to the fact that while the steam works under the scale of the hair, the presence of the oil steam prevents the alkaline steam from attaching the body of the hair, with the disastrous results already described. The ph sical properties of the substance are also 0 importance as compared with the loose and powdered form of the ordinary borax steam pads now in use. In the first place, the presence of bentonite, not only acts as an emulsifying agent, but also as a plasticizing and bonding agent which unites the entire mass into a porous structure which does not crumble when dry and gives it highly plastic properties when moistened,

allowmg a close contact with the' hair. Moreover, the substance has inherent adhesive properties, increased viscosity when heated and decreased expansion, all of which add greatly toease of application and the elimination of many of the trying aspects of'the resent hair waving treatments.- Finally, t e physical properties of the substance is such that when-enclosed in a fabric en,- velope, it provides a leakproof pad which may be shipped and handled without the crumblingof the substance and its sifting. throu h or shifting in, the'enveldlpe;

s as pref- Refe ing now to the steam pa erably constructed, they are generally flat rectangular envelopes I of cheesecloth, flan- -nel or the like, in which is enclosed a thin wafer 2 of the hair treating substance.- The pads are rectangular in shape and, roughly, four and one-half inches in length and two or two and one-half inches in width. 1 In making the pad shownin Figure 1, a sheet of "the fabric is folded around the wafer 2 and lengthwise thereof with its margins overlapplng each other midway of one face ofthe wafer for a distanceo'f one-half inch or so, with portions extending beyond the ends of the wafer of about the same length. These overlapping mar inal portions are then sealed togetherby app ying a heat-resisting adhesive between the contacting surfaces, thus entirely enclosing the wafer. Any suitable heat resisting adhesive may be used for 1 sealed edge of the envelope so as to allow room for the wafer to expand when moistoned-and heated. Applied to the envelope and on the face thereof having the sealed edge, is a moisture-proof sheet 4 of waxed paper, oiled silk, or like material, having the same dimensions as the envelope and secured thereto by the same adhesive used in sealing the edges of the fabric together, and which is applied along the end or narrow edges of the envelope.

The pad shown in Figure'2 is similarly made, except that the fabric envelope 5 is folded double to enclose the wafer 6, with the free edges of the fabric brought together in lapping relation and glued together by a band of adhesive of about onefourth of an inch in width extending around the three open sides of the envelope. In applying the adhesive, provision is made for a ree space about the edges of the wafer to permit of expansion of the substance, although the method of manufacture is quite the same as already described.

These pads thus constructed are ready for use, the same being first moistened and then wrapped around the strand of coiled hair, with the layer of waterproofing material outermost. The remaining step in the process is to enclose the pad in a suitable 'heatresisting tube or casing, which in turn is surrounded by a heating element, the heat being transmitted through the walls of the casing to generate the alkaline and oil steam which function in the manner already described, to impart the so-called permanent wave into the hair thus treated.

The advantage of this method of manufacture of the steam pad lies primarily in the decreased cost of production by the elimination of the stitching operation, and the substitution of the gluing operation, the former being especially difficult when the materials are wet, aside from the probability of excluding portions of the hair treating substance outside ofthe line of stitching unless considerable care is used by the operator. V

Having thus disclosed the novel features of my invention, I claim:

1. A steam pad for the purpose described, comprising a hair treating substance in wafer form, a fabric envelope enclosing said wafer, and having its open edges sealed with a heat-resisting adhesive. 4

2. A steam pad for the purpose described, comprising a sheet of woven fabric folded about a thin mass of hair treating substance with its edges overlapping to completely en close said mass, and a heat-resisting adhe sive applied between the edges of said fabric.

3. A steam pad for the purpose described,

comprising an envelope of fabric enclosing a thin wafer of ha1r treatmg substance, and

sealed at its edges with a heat-resisting adhesive of sodium silicate, casein and glycerine.

4. A steam pad for the purpose described comprising a thin wafer of relatively flexible hair-treating substance, and a covering for said wafer consisting of a sheet of fabric folded around said wafer, with two of its edges overlapping on one face of said wafer, its remaining edges projecting beyond the transverse edges of said wafer in overlapping engagement, said overlapping edges being sealed together with a heat-resisting adhesive.

5. A steam pad for the purpose described comprising a thin wafer of hair treating substance, an envelope for said wafer consisting of a sheet of fabric folded around said wafer with the marginal portions of said sheet meeting in overlapping contact beyond the edges of said wafer, and sealed together with heat-resisting adhesive, and a sheet of moisture-proof material applied over one face of sald envelope and secured thereto by said adhesive.

Signed at Chicago, 111., this 12th day of October 1926.

ERNST O. SCHNELIJ.- 

